


We're building walls (where there should have been bridges)

by starkbucksforbreakfast



Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: Avengers: Endgame (Movie), Avengers: Endgame (Movie) Spoilers, Bisexual Bucky Barnes, Bisexual Tony Stark, Bucky Barnes Feels, Bucky Barnes Goes to Therapy, Bucky Barnes Needs a Hug, Canon Divergence - Avengers: Endgame (Movie), Canon Temporary Character Death, Falling In Love, Friends to Lovers, M/M, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Post-Avengers: Endgame (Movie), Romance, Romantic Fluff, Strangers to Lovers, Tony Stark Feels, Tony Stark Has A Heart, Tony Stark Needs a Hug
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-05-01
Updated: 2019-05-02
Packaged: 2020-02-10 17:46:49
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 2,426
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18665317
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/starkbucksforbreakfast/pseuds/starkbucksforbreakfast
Summary: "Fuck this universe, I'm finding a boyfriend. "Says Bucky when he jumps into the portal.Or it starts with the Canon universe with the ending that we all disliked... And then bucky ends up in another universe where things are different





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Hi! So this idea was inspired by my friend Kimberly <3 English is not my first language BUT it is beta read by my dear friend MxVampirePunk <3

Bucky walked from the mourning crowd, feeling disconnected with the people as ever. He never felt like he belonged in this kind of a formal situation, not to mention it is a funeral. 

Bucky was sad about Stark's death; he hadn’t expected to feel for his death like this. Future without the existence of Ironman was weird for him, even though he didn't have the whole experience of Tony Stark’s big presence in the first place. It was weird, really weird, he thought to himself while he walked down the bank of the lake.

During the funeral, as everyone dear to Tony gathered around, Bucky had acted strange enough that he caught Sam’s attention and he pat his shoulder for once. Did he mean to comfort him? Bucky genuinely doesn't know. Hell, he couldn't even figure out why is he acting so weird, all broody and stuff.

Stark was a really thoughtful man, all in all. Not only did he prepare his documents neatly in an envelope on top of his working desk in his home before his unforeseen death, but he also thought for the rest of his 'family'.

The funeral was extended by pepper stopping the departing crowd, which had consisted of the many who had partaken in the battle but hadn’t  _ known  _ Tony like she did, to give a short speech. It was a short Ivy stand that she stood on, to make her stand out in the crowd as the people who had come back from the snap gathered in front of her. With the original six Avengers in the front row, Bucky chose to stand at the very back, just behind the Guardians of the Galaxy. She explained how Tony had set up plans to allow the Avengers full ownership of the compound, if anything happened to him they would be cared for in.  _ In his place,  _ Bucky thought with a frown. A well-written plan that saw the remaining Avengers, and those who might join in the future, free of rent, with access to paid in advance water, electricity, medical care. Nobody would be left out. Even in death, Tony Stark is taking care of his beloved. Which in itself, was a huge favor given from him.

It was a hard thing to digest, that there had been a man as generous as him. Bucky seriously couldn't bring himself to believe this as he had watched Pepper end her speech. How generous is this man, exactly? Especially after all the hurt people have done to him, especially the people he was giving shelter to.

Especially after all the hurt _Bucky_ had done to him.

Bucky looks down at his hands, ironically he was holding the paper that Pepper had given him in his metal hand, Pepper’s that stated that he had the right to  _ own  _ a section of the new Avengers compound. He never got the chance to interact with Stark, let alone apologize to him about the thing he has done in the past, he owed him that much, at the very least. Bucky knew that Steve had told him that there was no guilt or responsibility for him to be handled during his Winter Soldier years, but at the bottom of his heart, he felt that a redemption of some sort was needed in order to let this hard stone in his stomach disappear. His guilt is settled with Stark’s existence, it isn’t going anywhere, and with his death, it has not disappeared with him but rather lingered within Bucky himself. He didn't’ get to repay the man even though he was still being kind even in his death.

But he doesn't get a chance now, does he? He sighed to himself and decided to head his way towards his new home. He had to move on after all. Didn’t he?

But he couldn’t.

Everyone moved on but him.

Because the only person he needs to forgive himself was gone now.

He was left alone with his rock in the stomach for what was probably forever.

 

* * *

 

 

"Man, you okay? You looked like you drifted off to another world for a second there."

Bucky shrugged, leaving Sam confused but nevertheless indifferent look on his face.

"The portal will be ready in any minute now," Bruce said, fiddling whatever he is doing over at the portal's control panel.

"Are you sure you don't want me to come, Steve?"

Steve smiled at him, "Yeah, it's okay."

Everything drifted into a blur of white noise to Bucky, he didn’t know why. He crossed his arms and pressed his lips together, trying to focus on what the others were saying. Perhaps he's just sleep deprived.

"I'll miss you."

_ Yeah, yeah. I know you will, Steve. _

"Don't do anything dumb."

Bucky chuckled, "You're taking all the dumb with you."

Under the countdown of Bruce, the portal whirled. And then he disappeared, toward the past.

 

* * *

 

 

The next time Bucky opened his eyes he realized that he was lying on the grass, with a cool breeze blowing over his skin and ruffling his hair. Within the next seconds, a face drifts into his vision, big brown eyes stare at him. It takes a few moments, but he realizes that right now he was lying in Stark's backyard.

How does he know that?

Because the face staring right at him is Tony Stark himself.


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Tony has returned! Or has he?

Bucky remembers the exact day when he fought Ironman at the Bunker. However, if you ask him if he had every detail of the fighting between the three of them, Steve, Bucky, and Stark, it is negative. He barely remembers the interactions of his punches and stabs responding to Tony's blasts, other than the fact that he almost ripped off Stark's arc reactor that which of that time was the same importance as his heart and that Stark destroyed his old Hydra metal arm. Recalling both of the two specifics simulates sensations as if someone is stabbing him in the chest with a pocket knife (he would rather not admit that, but it was true). Why, you ask? Because he never wanted to fight Stark, not after he escapes the control of Hydra, escapes the long fate of being the Winter Soldier. 

 

What Bucky do remember explicitly on that day was the things Ross shows to Tony and what Steve said to Stark after that. When Zemo brought out the screen in front of Stark and Steve, he knew what is about to go down. However, instead of him feeling guilty at the spot and perhaps beg for Tony's forgiveness right there and then, his body automatically tenses up into combat mode, preparing for the worst.

 

Stark hates him to the guts, and he has all the right to do that.

 

Yet, he still provides him with food and water and shelter even after his death. How on Earth would Bucky even start to repay him?

 

For bucky fate always has a habit to slap you across the face and steps on your toe while your face twists in agony. This time, fate brings him to the road of redemption.

  
  


* * *

  
  


"Okay, let's not ask how in the whole wide world have you gotten here, to  _ my back yard _ , but let's get you up first. It's exhausting to talk to you like this when I'm bending down like I'm playing some sort of hide-and-seek with Antman. I'm an old man, Barnes, my lower back isn't holding up much longer."

 

Bucky stares at the man above him in disbelief. On one point he is at the funeral of this person, the next thing he knows the man is Staring straight at him. But no, he should be at the portal with Bruce, Sam, and Steve right this moment. This must be a dream of some sort. 

 

"C' mon, let's get you up, big boy." Says Stark when he extended out a hand and visibly hesitates when he does that, but remained the gesture nevertheless. Bucky noticed him struggling and waves off his hand and nods to say that he could get up on his own.

 

The world feels like its spinning around Bucky and he doesn't know why. There must be some sort of explanation of why he is teleported here, and for some reason Stark is alive? How the hell is this possible unless he is going completely and utterly insane?

 

"M'Okay, don't worry." He managed to utter these words out as he sways and stood up, still feeling dizzy as hell.

 

"Nah-uh, you look like you're about to pass out, Buckaroo," Stark commented but he remained still, "So. Um. Care to explain why you are lying in my yard on a Sunday afternoon? You know you looked like a dead body from across my window. I thought there was a murder scene until I discovered it was you."

 

"I… Don't remember," Bucky said with a hand over his face, not helping to look confident as so many uncontrolled variables presenting in front of him. "Dunno how I got here."

 

"Okay, an amnesiac supersoldier, ex-assassin, ex-weapon of Hydra or whatever. I can deal with that." He coughs, "Let's get you some coffee or tea shall we? You look like you need some refreshment-"

 

Bucky's Stomach chose to growl at this untimely moment.

 

"-and apparently some food as well. So c' mon in."

 

Seems like Bucky just have to accept the fact that he's probably in an Alternative universe then.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Find me on Tumblr lovingtony3000


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Tell me if I am messing this fic up. I'm feeling very bad about myself right now. :( But please enjoy if you do.

Bucky gently taps the edge of his coffee mug handle while he waited for Stark to come. He remembered he said he'll be right back as he needed to fix his coffee machine while making a brief comment on how much he missed his life with all the high technology at his penthouse. He had to move to this cabin right after Thanos has bombed his place.  _ Thanos,  _ Bucky repeated the unfortunately familiar name to himself, at least he could figure out that he is in a similar universe than where he came from. He also figured this should be only a few days later than the thing that happened, the same way  _ his _ universe has, only that Stark survived. Otherwise, he would be in his new headquarters instead of chilling in this small cabin. 

 

The ex-assassin senses of his were heightened as soon as he was invited into the place by Stark. He takes in the surroundings gradually but surely, analyzing the situation and atmosphere.  _ Why did Stark lead him into his private place so easily? _ Even in Bucky's universe, they rarely talked after what happened in the Bunker. Why is he so defenseless? Is there something that is different than where Bucky was from? Something else that happened Bucky did not experience? It is probable, after all, Stark is clearly alive and well in this new world. He found the place especially soothing, by the way, if he was being honest to himself. Stark has done a pretty good job at decorating his living room with Zakka handicraft and Scandinavian designed furniture. Bucky found himself liking this place, and naturally, he started to relax, for the first time in his life after Hydra. 

 

Does Bucky want to go back to his own universe? He does not know yet, because it is yet to be considered if he has not been able to find out where the hell is he right now. Bucky decides to get a full understanding of where he is and what is going on in this place first Than just recklessly trying to get back when he doesn't even know how he got here in the first place. 

 

Bucky sips his coffee and the mug blocks his eyesight for a while when suddenly he heard footsteps coming towards him, it should be Stark returning from his coffee machine-fixing trip. Stark sat down opposite of him, again, completely defenseless to Bucky's eyes, and presented a vaguely genuine smile to him and started, “How was your day? “

 

“Nothing much. “says Bucky. It really wasn't his fault if he doesn't have anything to say to him. His life is meddled, yes, but he is yet to tell him that. He wanted to observe first. Being the listener is easy, he did that a lot once long ago during the 40s with Steve. This just reminds him of that. But in a way that is refreshing to Bucky, a good type of feeling rushing to his chest when he realized that was a way of Stark showing his care for people around him. Does he deserve this, though? 

 

“I just think that before I start bombarding you with questions, it is best to just settle down with some foods and drinks,” Stark says, in all his casualness. He pulls out a box of cookies and gestured towards bucky, “want one? “

 

Bucky had no reason to refuse. The taste of honey and cinnamon blossoms on his taste buds. 

 

“So I was thinking,” Stark’s muffled voice comes through his mouth full of cookies and coffee. To be fair, Bucky was slightly amused by that. “weren't you supposed to be out and traveling around the world and eat plums and stuff? Like you told us you'd do?”

 

Bucky hesitates. Bucky's first reaction is to lie, but Stark, after all the help he had offered to the Avengers and the World, doesn't deserve this kind of treatment. He wasn't going to act like Steve, at the very least,  _ lie _ to his face because he doesn't  _ trust _ Stark, about the murder of his parents while he thought for so long that Steve and he were on the same boat. So what Bucky does, is to straight up tell the truth. At least his perception of the truth. 

 

“I was at the portal where Steve returns the Infinity Stones to where they came from, and the next thing I see is your face staring at me.”

 

Stark blinks.

 

“First of all, I must admit that I haven't got perfect eyesight so that I have to check on you when I first thought you were some dead body on my lawn.” He pulls out another cookie, and chews on it, looking completely unaffected by Bucky's confession. But at the back of his eyes shines an unusual glow of deep considering. “glad that you told me the truth, I appreciate it.”

 

Bucky smiled mildly. A wave of warm feeling shot up his spine by hearing his words. 

 

“So while at the moment we have nothing to do with you - a broody Supersoldier on a Sunday afternoon, how about we just enjoy snack time?”

**Author's Note:**

> Tell me your thoughts? Or find me on Tumblr @lovingtony3000


End file.
